The present invention is directed to the field of razors and more particularly to a razor having provisions for lighting the shaving area.
Presently, it is customary to use various types of razors, such as electric razors, safety razors, straight razors, and the like. Many of these razors are afforded with sophisticated safety provisions, one of the more important of which is the provision for lighting the shaving area. Some of the early razors which employed means for illuminating the shaving area are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,180,686 by Allport, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,546,928 by Masabny. However, these razors are bulky, cumbersome objects which lack light directivity. Additionally, in view of the typical shaving environment, the prior art razors required elaborate sealing provisions to avoid electrical shorting of the electrical components therein.
An illuminated razor which mitigates many of the above-described shortcomings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,062 issued to Papanikolaou, the inventor of the present invention. The razor disclosed therein is compact and is provided with a razor head formed of a transparent plastic material contoured so as to act as a light pipe to thereby illuminate the area just previously shaved. Although the razor described therein represents a significant advance in the art, further improvements in the construction of the razor are desirable. In particular, a slidable switch is provided in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,062 for selectively turning a light bulb on and off, and a removable end portion is also provided to allow access to the battery chamber. Thus, two sealing mechanisms, one for the switch and one for the end portion, are required.